Morning Bell: Send Education Dollars and Decision-Making Back Home

The Obama Administration has another problem on its hands. The mighty hand of the federal government has its grip on education in the form of the No Child Left Behind federal law on public education, but the trouble is that the law isn’t working. Instead of a top-down approach to education, it’s time for restoring state and local control over education, while downsizing the Department of Education.

That’s a lesson that Education Secretary Arne Duncan needs to learn.

In an interview last week, Duncan expressed frustration at the “slow motion train wreck” that is No Child Left Behind, which is up for re-authorization. Under the law, all children are required to be proficient in math and reading by 2014—a standard that could leave three-quarters of U.S. schools labeled as failures, leaving them at risk of losing federal funding.

But the federal government has neither the authority nor the capacity to achieve local school improvement, as a half-century record shows. As a result, schools and states are scrambling, and the NCLB mandate has led to “serious unintended consequences, such as a weakening of state achievement standards and a loss of transparency to parents and taxpayers about students’ real academic performance,” according to The Heritage Foundation’s Lindsey Burke. But there are even bigger problems—the significant expansion of the federal role in education, leading to restrictive red tape tying up local and state education leaders.

The costs of complying with federal mandates are extraordinary. Burke writes that “estimates from 2006 found that the new guidelines and regulations created by NCLB increased state and local education agencies’ annual paperwork burden by 6.7 million hours, at a cost of $141 million.” That number continues to grow. According to Representative John Kline (R–MN):

States and school districts work 7.8 million hours each year collecting and disseminating information required under Title I of federal education law. Those hours cost more than $235 million. The burden is tremendous, and this is just one of many federal laws weighing down our schools.

And despite the rules and regulations, not to mention a tripling of federal per-pupil expenditures and $2 trillion of taxpayer money spent since 1965, academic achievement and graduation rates have remained flat.

Rather than recognize that a top-down approach to education isn’t the answer, President Barack Obama and Secretary Duncan want to stay the course and perhaps grant waivers on test score requirements. They don’t want to lose their grip on local schools.

The good news is that there’s an alternative.

The Academic Partnerships Lead Us to Success (A-PLUS) Act, a conservative alternative to No Child Left Behind, would remove the reams and reams of Department of Education bureaucracy handed down to states and empower them to direct how their education dollars are spent. It would allow states to opt out of No Child Left Behind and increase state and local control in education while increasing transparency of results to parents and taxpayers.

A-PLUS provides states the opportunity to put the 10th Amendment into practice right now by opting out of the many federal programs under NCLB. At the same time, policymakers should work to move the underlying law in the same direction: sending dollars and decision-making to those closest to students by eliminating programs, increasing flexibility, and directing accountability to parents and taxpayers, not bureaucrats in Washington.

There are some 60 competitive grant programs and approximately 20 formula grant programs that fall under NCLB alone. In all, the Department of Education operates more than 100 competitive and formula grant programs. The application processes are terribly complex, leading schools to devote precious times and resources to focusing their attention on Washington in hopes of getting funding.

Federal policymakers should reduce the federal footprint in education by eliminating the majority of competitive grant programs and consolidating most formula grant programs so more dollars reach students in need, rather than getting soaked up by bureaucracy. Policymakers should also allow states to make federal Title I dollars ($14.5 billion for low-income schools) portable, to follow a child to a school of his or her choice.

Burke writes that the time has come for the federal government to honestly assess its performance in education and reassess its role:

For more than 45 years, Washington has tried and failed to reform education. Academic achievement languishes, graduation rates have stagnated, and achievement gaps stubbornly persist. It is time for Washington to hand back the reins to state and local leaders, and let go of the federal government’s stifling grip over education policy.

Layer upon layer of regulations and trillions in federal spending have achieved little if any results in education. The federal government has had its chance, and America’s schoolchildren have suffered. Congress and the Obama Administration need to put an end to the Department of Education “slow motion train wreck” that continues to create havoc in America’s schools.

It needs the same treatment I give to non-responsive programs on my computer. CONTROL, ALTERNATE, DELETE, which puts the TASK MANAGER in charge, and who then DELETES The Department of Education and sends the minions looking for REAL jobs…..

Nice pipe dream. I remember campaign promises about "taking back our schools" from the same person that shoved NCLB down our throats (one of the largest, unfunded federal mandates in history). Anytime we return power to the states, we have to return the money that goes with the power. That would require a corresponding decrease in federal taxation. Who is going to actually DO any of this? Obama? No way. Congress? What Congress? I don't even think we would get eight votes.

7.8 million hours of paperwork, according to Mr. Kline – that's the equivalent of almost 4,000 full-time employees! If only schools could spend that money on textbooks and other classroom materials, or more fundamentally, teachers! Granted, it's only an average of less than 80 FTEs per state, which is not much by the time you get to individual schools, but I'd rather have an extra part-time teacher at just one school in a county than a part-time "federal regulation paperwork clerk," wouldn't you? It seems certain that the A-PLUS program would allow states and school districts just such a choice, and good luck to Mr. Kline in pursuing it!

After working in the education industry for over 20 years I can truthfully say the education system does not need more money, it needs to be better run. With budget crunches across the board, school districts are cutting teachers and support staff that deal directly with the students. This is wrong. The cuts need to be made at the top. School superintendents that make $200k a year when the average area income is $32k a year is wrong, very wrong. To accept a raise when teachers and support staff are being laid off and have to accept furlough days or have no job is wrong. To hire more 3 1/2 hour clerks at the district office, and cut the clerks at the school site is wrong. To cut libraries, computer labs, nurses, cafeteria workers, custodians, teacher aids, just because you can't afford them is wrong, they deal directly with the students, look at other areas to cut, like pay raises for the superintendent and assistant superintendents and their 2 secretaries and 3 clerks each. No the school districts don't need more money, they need parents to be more aware of how the money is spent.

There was nothing wrong with NCLB. It set achievable goals. But the unions had their scribes, the teachers, lie about the grades so the union teachers could achieve at the expense of the children. Of all the goals that Heritage puts forth and all are tremendous, this one has absolutely no chance of being accomplished in America's public schools. The teacher unions need to be disbanded and that will not happen any time soon, unfortunately for the children.And magic is needed for some as the policies in place have no chance of succeeding. They never have in the past.

Ken, Murdoch is correct. The problem is not the schools, the problem is federal bureacracy…..

As far as the approach to educating our children, I think it should be done much the same way I believe health care should be approached. Open an account for every child upon birth. The account will be funded in part by federal, state, local and parents. This money will pay for daycare, school and college. After college or trade school is complete (or when the child reaches the age of 30) the account automatically turns into a private retirement account. The parents and child are responsible for finding the schooling. The children have to take and pass basic exams on an annual basis. Results are forwarded to local and state agencies to ensure that the child is receiving an adequate education. Special needs children can get extra funding as needed. This funds accounts for every child who is a CITIZEN and keeps government bureacracy and costs at a minimum. The retirement account can slowly take over for SS and the citizen can invest the money the way he/she wants to…..they can add money if they wish…..any spending outside of educational or retirement purposes is illegal and all spending will be documented in full.

As a former school superintendent and now college & university teacher, I personally believe education in our country is in very poor condition. We are at the mercy of a ruthless union system that spends 95% of its time and money on 5% of its members. We also have technocrats, certified not qualified, as administrators who are satisfied with padding their retirement. The progressives have rewritten history to include useless items instead of core teaching.

Consequently, we have Obama sending his children private sdhool while sending his brother African American children and poor white students to Washington's public toilet schools.

There is no provision in the Constitution for federal involvement in education. Get them out, opt for school choice and you will see improvement.

Federal discretionary spending is 57% unfunded. Cancel, cut, slash – whatever – 57% of the budget today because the money is not there. Close down the DoEd, then – and only then – send the remainder back to the states (with no further impact on the deficit.) Then from here on – just let the states and people keep their money to use in whatever education needs each level has and keep the feds out of education altogether!

Many of us in the grandfather, great grandfather status are appalled at the regulations imposed not only in the extra cost, work and limited curriculum of the educational systems. Point being the contraction of history, especially American history by "political correctness". That has done more damage of our true Heritage than one would expect from an honest government.

It is, perhaps, silly to mention it, but the Government influence on/control of our schools reminds me of the old Soviet agricultural system: A bureaucrat at his nice desk in Moscow would dictate to the managers of collective farms in Ukraine or Kazakhstan which crops to grow, what day to plant, perhaps even what day to harvest. The vagaries of weather (like this year) make such orders ludicrous, even disastrous. The similarity is there; look at it.

Agree that the "Top Down" Federal program has has little to no effect on Education results; however, where is the accountability in the alternative that is proposed? States have a great deal of say in the current "Leave No Child Behind" program, and they had even more responsibility before that … yet, most results were still lacking! We need a combined State/Local and Federal program that holds everyone responsible without all of the costly administration. MOST OF ALL, WE NEED PARENTS AND COMMUNITIES TO GET INVOLVED IN THEIR CHILDREN'S EDUCATION.

I've said it over and over. Please show me in the constitution where is says that education is a federal responsibility. Oh I forgot it makes no mention of education. Therefore according to the 10th amendment, education is a state responsibility. Eliminate the DOE and save 1 billion dollars.

Yes; Ken Jarvis, things may get better if either, your friend Mr. Obama gets us to the bottom and there is no other way but up, or when the American voters understand his desire to destroy us and they vote him out of office!

If the Republicans were smart they would jump on the education issue with both feet, first denouncing President Bush's foolish "No Child Left Behind" initiative, second by emphasizing the bankrupt state of education in the United States, in spite of the ridiculously enormous amount we spend on it for the little education we get for our money, third pointing out the one area where the Socialist of Europe are actually doing something that makes sense, they are making available "Education Vouchers"for their schoolchildren to attend the school of the parent's choice.

Believe me it would cost the Republicans no votes because those who love the system we now have don't vote Republican anyway.

Things have not gotten better for the past 30-40 years. We managed to hold the line in most places before the Federal government got into education. Do you think the people in New York City are like the people in Ohio or Iowa? In some ways yes, but many no. The things children are exposed to in different places certainly differ. The experiences they bring to school from home differ. How can a "one size fits all" education policy possibly work? The state government is in a much better position to know what their people want and need. The local boards of education are even better situated to make decisions for their students. In a town of 30,000 you will have schools with different populations and different needs. Before the Feds got so involved, local boards used to adjust for those differing needs. Now that has, in many ways, become impossible. Education decisions need to come back home.

How about we close the Dept of Education – let's give the responsibility back to the locals. It will do two things: increase the level and quality of education of our children AND at the same time, remove the odds of getting raided by a DOE SWAT team like that which happened last week in California. Dept of Ed does not need guns.

"Rather than recognize that a top-down approach to education isn't the answer, President Barack Obama and Secretary Duncan want to stay the course and perhaps grant waivers on test score requirements. They don't want to lose their grip on local schools."

Of course not. To dumb down the nation's youth will make them only more willing as adults to look to liberal government for their benefits: food stamps, government "do nothing" jobs, aid to dependent children, unemployment benefits, health care, ad nauseam.

How much longer will the law-abiding, taxpaying, citizens tolerate an abusive, overbearing, dictatorial, un-constitutional government to operate at this train-wreck speed. If my history recollections are correct, this is why we no longer hold allegiance to the British crown. WAKE UP AMERICA

Please sir, enough of the "feelings" and rhetoric. Please present any facts you may have (or matrices) to show that the economic policies that the Obama administration have put into place that show "thigs will get better".

The United States Government is corrupt and incompetent, bottom line. How many programs, that have not been effective, have been eliminated once the Government has a hold of power within that program. My guess would be close to zero. It’s fine to point out the short comings of the Government but, quite frankly, you could go on and on and talk of most every program that exists under their control. Control is the key word and “Government” will never ever give up any that they imagine they have. It’s not about us, the citizens, it’s about their completely corrupt control of everyone, every dollar, and every second of the day.

Problem? It's just all part of this promised "fundamental transformation of government" to those who voted for him! Spend money like crazy that you don't have, bust the budget and crash the economy, blame a villian, which in this case will be rich(?) white men and holocaust them! This is 60's Chicago terrorists William Ayers and Bernadette Dorn's(both white by the way, talking about racism!) dream come true, put a black Marxist in the white House, crash the economy as mandated by the marxist manifesto, blame the white man and holocaust them. According to these 60's Chicago terrorists, this black president goes to the UN and uses 70% of it's nations to rule u.s. Problem? Duh! These 70% of nations to rule u.s. through the UN are in Africa! That was the plan these Chicago terrorists planned it and I don't believe that there has been a change? Watch! Do you know that they both are in the middle east know creating an Islamic caliphate to have another caliphate with Marxism, both wanting to destroy u.s. This should begin by next fall at the latest, but it has to begin in the fall for sure! Again, watch!

Funny, but sad, education supposed to teach history, but it rewrites its own failed history. IN Ct we had the education enhancement act passed in1986, which said give us more money and education would be improved. Same results (none) in Ct as country. The only thing not tried is school choice, Ct is now taking a woman to court for having the audacity to send her kid to a better school in a different town. No one is angry at Bridgeport, the town with the lousy school, but they are mad at the woman. Funny, crime for wanting a better school for your kid is worse than packing marijuana in Ct. Gotta love the democratic liberal mind

In the kids that are here in my house before and after school, I see 1st, they are primed for the test, 2nd they are NOT being taught American History, ie: they know Geo. Washington was first president but know nothing about his service in the Re. War, they know very little geography and are learning Math and English just to pass test. High Schoolers are not reading the great works of Shakespere or other authors, Novels like "Silas Miner" were a must. Weneed to get back to the States and counties taking charge of schools and TEACHING.

I am a member of the “Heritage Foundation,” because, you do a great job of bringing the truth to your member. But I believe that You are “PREACHING TO THE CHOIR!!!” It is about time that you figure out a plan to get this information out, to the general public.

The Democrats, have spend BILLIONS of our tax money into programs such as; Education, fight for the Poor, and others failed programs.

Maybe I am reaching, but answer this question, how totalitarian government’s get control of their people? By keeping them IGNORANT! I do believe that this is the case with the poor, the blacks, Latinos and other ethnic groups. The majority of these groups, without failure vote democrat, even though they are still in the rotten situation they have been for years!

Ask the black people how the government intrusion into their child education, have improved or deteriorated their preparation to compete in the job market?, or How the government program to eradicated poverty has improved their life?

It is a must that we educate our people, with the truth, with irrefutable facts, and this education should be open and honest. We must point to who is responsible for this shameful situation. I would ask the black people what has Jessie Jackson, Al Sharpton, Louis Farrakhan, Shirley Chisholm, and last but not the least our President Barack Obama, and many others, have done to improve, their life!

The pseudo auto proclaimed leaders have done nothing for them, but themselves have all become millionaires!

Needles to say it, yet, we must remind ourselves, the 2012 election for President IS critical for our beloved country. The Democrats will lie as alway! Lets be ready with the TRUTH!

As education can be and is taught anywhere by anyone, government public education is not essential. Since it's provided by the dollars of those that earn a living, the government academia should be general in regard to the basics at a level of proficiency as expected.

Under the new law, students will be REQUIRED???? to be proficient in math and reading by 2014???? That should be "a given" already!

The only answer FOR this OVERREACH of FEDS is to CONTROL what's being taught instead of inspiring free thought. The feds will narrow minds worse then their own and make sure no child is left behind.

GET THE FEDS OUT! UNCONSTITUTIONAL!

A-PLUS sounds much more like an American approach.

I'd like to thank Lindsey Burke for her extraordinary work regarding this issue.

The program, No Child Left Behind Act, should be called the dumbing down of America. The needs of the children are best left to the parents and local officials. There is no need for a Czar in Washington telling a school district what is best needed in the district. The Czars do not know the needs, they only know the political will of the party. It is the parents and the local school officials that know the programs that will be best for the district.

One only need to look at the school education in Germany. The people who want their child to succeed place their children in either the Katholisch or Evangelish (Catholic or Luthern0 schools. If they want their children at a lower level they place them in the Government school system. There is a remarkable difference between the children as to education and behavior in the Church schools as to the Government schools.

Thank God I grew up when the local school district controled the education. I am better schooled and more knowledgeable that those graduating from high school today. I graduated from high school in 1950's.

Since the feds have run the DC school system forever and it is one of the nation's worst school system (and possibly discriminatory b/c of the minority population), what ever makes them think they can fix anything else.

Get rid of the regs, unfunded mandates and the overhead. Hire teachers who know something and let them teach.

BTDT – I am simply appalled at the wasted time on non-essential topics that occur in today's classrooms. The "intelligentsia" has wrecked a good system.

Feds: Get out of this business. (Besides, we'd probably save a few billion by eradicating the DOE)

The Fed Dept of Ed should immediately be defunded and removed. The local school districts know what is needed and is best for their area students; the state can setup guide lines for basis studies for the districts to follow in the manner that best suits their area. Get rid of the 'all controlling UNIONS'; there is no reason these 'thugs' ever need to have anything to do with teachers or education. Teachers are educated and certainly can deal on their own without some 'union thug' do the work for them. Now hire the best teachers for the job and just let them teach……

It would be nice if all public school students in the US were citizens ( I do not mean 'ANCHOR BABIES EITHER) or children, who speak ENGLISH and learned at their parents expense, of LEGAL ALIENS. No other country in the world give ILLEGAL ALIENS and their 'get and produce' a total FREE RIDE for everything they need and don't need. The only thing they need is a 'free ride' back to where they came from – less expensive that trying to educate them at Taxpayers expense….. I spent 9 years on a local school board and know first hand what a mess the FEDS have made of the US educational system.

The federal government in the form of Congress (who makes the laws) and the bureaucratic apparatus (who totally screw up implimenting the laws) have now become "the enemy of the average citizen". This may cause another "war of secession". But in the new case, it will be a war between all of the states against the totalitarianism of the federal government. Sort of like when the U.S.S.R. desintegrated.

Its like everything else the goverment does waste money and regulate our lives with rules that sound great on paper but in reality are worthless. If anyone politician lived the life of an average peson would see how the people are tired the more we pay the less we get and better yet we gave away all our manufacting jobs and now taking away our kids education which leaves us with nothing. How will our kids pay for the endless debt these political foolks hasve left them. Again it only shows how corupt this goverment is so sad to think men gave there lives for politicians to use greed and power for themselves and have no care for those who really work. They all belong on the street feeling what the working class feel hurt

Heritage does a wonderful job. But I just thought of something. Even the big O reads your articles to use for his reelection campaign!!These are the things that "his" side(voters) never hear about. They are positive things so he puts them in his reelection speaches when he travels to these places and foreign countries. He natrually won't ever do them but they will help him get reelected!!

I just read all the coments and an interesting thing happened. I realized that the DOE has for all these years has continued to throw money at the problem. Remember Einstien"s definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Therefore the DOE is insane. That is all that is needed to be said.

Education in America needs a simplified plan as a cornerstone for everything else. And the plan used needs a stated purpose that establishes our public schools as being important in the building of our Nation's future. I offer SUSA as a starting point to that end.

It's about time that someone is saying "NO" to the Washington gang about their influence (beyond the $) on the mores' of our children. Get the Government out of the school business and put the oversight of those School Boards back where it belongs – the parents! We have a hard enough time with the land grant universities in each state that have flooded their faculties with liberal, leftists who have "re-educated" our kids with the United Nation's Socialist propaganda. Half of them graduating from the University have no idea what it takes to play an important role in the survival of our engine of prosperity – a Capitalist Economic system. They surely know about political correctness, diversity, ethincity, global warming, organic farming, save the whales and the snail darter, explotation of the wetlands and the mineral wealth of the improvished nation of the world.

3/4 of the State budget in AZ goes to the Federal bureaucracy in education! We know this, yet it continues. Fiscally and for the benefit of the children in the system, we must end the Dept. of Ed. in Washington

Abolish the Dept. of Education entirely. There is no constitutional authority for its existence. Do the same for Dept. of Energy, EPA, and CPSC (a waste of money if there ever were one). Add to the "jettison" heap, Dept. of Labor, HHS, Commerce, etc., etc., as none of them are authorized under the strict limitations of the enumerated powers.

Most states have their own agencies that are better-suited to dealing with issues within the individual states. We do not need unauthorized/unconstitutional agencies that are redundant.

It is unconstitutional government that has gotten our federal government to the brink of financial and operational collapse (well-deserved).

Come join Conservative Teachers of America on Facebook/Twitter/Web as we continue to push for the end of the Federal Department of Education! What a colossal waste of money over the years. Let local and state education leaders innovate, and stay out of our business! http://conservativeteachersofamerica.com

The Federal Deprment of Education is unconstitutional. It is a state or people right by virtue of the 10th Amendment. Return more than 100 billion dollars to the States . Allow the the states to innovate and compete among themselves as the Founders intended. It is far better to have 50 educational labortories than a single Fedefral Department of Education, whereby "one size fits all".

The new book" Patriot Papers" explains in detail how to return the rights of the states or the people to addrdess the needs of local education. Each state, like each child, is unique and requires local attention …not remote federal interference and waste.

Three words: Block grants. So I committed a Bidenism. If Gaffe Master Flash can make them. I can too. Block grant the funding to the states. That's the best way to reform education. Here are three more words: Voucher system.

When it comes to education, I believe it to be the most important investment one can ever make, so when I was browsing the news today, I was surprised to discover this little number: http://www.pressdisplay.com/pressdisplay/showlink…. Of course no change ever came from conformity, but seems to me like a foolish anti-higher education argument. Seeing as your post also addresses education today, I just thought I’d share this with ya as well. In any case, thanks for posting and I hope this at least doesn’t fail to make your minute worthwhile :P

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